How Social Media Can Help Your Business Succeed
Virtually every business is on at least one social media platform. And if they are not, they should be! Social media is no longer just for entertainment, it acts as a marketing tool for businesses of all sizes.
So, is it worth focusing your efforts on social media marketing? At McWilliams Marketing, we have seen countless benefits for businesses that emphasize social media as part of their marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at ten ways that social media can contribute to the growth and success of your business.
1. Builds Your Brand Image
Consumers today are interested in the story behind your brand. Who are you as an organization? What causes do you support? The image of your brand is more important now than ever before!
Social media is a visual platform that allows you to effectively communicate your brand’s image through photographs, videos, or graphics. By using social media to build the image of your brand, you can more effectively market the products or services that you offer to potential customers.
2. Creates Connection With Your Community
Although many marketing strategies focus on attracting new customers, they often overlook the importance of building a loyal customer base. Working to foster loyalty with your customers will provide you with benefits for years to come.
So, how do you create this brand loyalty? We believe that creating and maintaining a sense of connection with your customers is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this goal! Through social media, you can create this important sense of connection with your customers.
Ask for their input on future services, products, or specials. Engage with their accounts, encouraging them to share about your business. These interactions, combined with a strong brand image, will create a loyal customer base that will contribute to your success.
3. Offers Free Marketing Opportunities
One of the most important reasons to use social media for your business? Free marketing opportunities! Although you can certainly invest in Facebook Ads or promotions, simply maintaining an online presence is a step in the right direction.
Social media allows you to share information regarding new products, sales, or specials that may attract new or repeat customers! This free advertising space is something that every business should utilize to its advantage.
4. Provides a Platform for Product Education
Education is important to the success of any business. By educating your customers on how to best use your products or about the benefits of your services, you can generate future sales! By using social media, you can easily and effectively educate your customers through engaging media or educational posts.
5. Allows You to Reach a Wide Audience
According to the We Are Social Digital 2020 Report, “…there are 3.80 billion social media users [worldwide] in January 2020, with this number increasing by more than 9 percent (321 million new users) since this time last year.”
3.8 billion users is just slightly less than 50% of the overall worldwide population. It is safe to assume that this number will only continue to grow in the coming years! While you certainly don’t need to reach 3.8 billion people, social media allows you to reach a wider audience than many other marketing strategies.
6. Improves Customer Service
Where do people go when they have a complaint or want to share a less-than-ideal experience? Unfortunately, they often take to their keyboards! Social media allows you to improve customer service by maintaining an easily accessible platform for communication.
Additionally, you can conduct market research by asking your community for their opinions regarding future products or services, or for feedback on how you can improve. Extending the great customer service experience your team provides to online platforms will not only improve the overall experience by will also generate new business from onlookers.
7. Acts As an Easy Referral Platform
Social media can act as a great referral platform! When a satisfied customer is sharing about their experience, they can easily share your businesses social media account with their friends or followers. In this way, you can receive organic traffic, taking advantage of yet another form of free marketing!
8. Allows You to Manage Online Reputation
While it would certainly be nice to receive nothing but positive feedback, this simply isn’t reality. Even with the best products and customer service, someone will always find something to complain about!
As a business owner, it is tempting to delete these negative reviews. However, this is not the best way to respond to this type of criticism. By having an active presence on social media, you can tactfully deal with negative feedback. Many times, the disgruntled customer simply wants to be understood!
This type of approach will not only help you maintain your customer base but may also help you attract more customers due to your positive, professional response.
9. Provides Instant Communication
Are you experiencing a power outage that prevents you from serving customers? Maybe you need to close the shop early for an emergency? Social media provides instant communication with your customers. Although other forms of communication such as email exist, they are not as effective as a social media post in alerting your customers of a last-minute change.
10. Drives Online Traffic to Your Website
While social media is certainly important, it should not take the place of a website for your business. However, they should work together to inform and educate your customers, leading to an increase in sales! Social media works to effectively drive online traffic to your website where you can provide potential customers with information on how to move forward.
Although once reserved for entertainment, social media has become a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes! As a business owner, you must take advantage of this excellent opportunity to grow your business. While it should not be your only form of marketing, social media marketing contributes to a strong, effective marketing strategy!
Are you ready to take advantage of the many benefits of social media? Our team will work with you to develop a social media marketing strategy that will provide results for your business. Contact us today to get started!
